The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins centers around a
young woman -- Katniss Everdeen -- in the post-apocalyptic
dictatorship of Panem, the remains of the United States of America.
After a great war, all that remains are thirteen districts, all
ruled by President Snow from his Capitol. These districts call back
to a time when the United States was first forming and its original
thirteen colonies. After advancement and disaster, the country
renamed Panem has reverted back to its original form: thirteen
districts operating separately and yet for the good of the Capitol,
all contributing valuable resources needed for the country to
survive.

In this world where the privileged thrive in the Capitol,
Katniss struggles to support her family as primary caretaker. A
strong-minded woman with fierce loyalty to her sister, she is
hunter and woman, saving her sister from the annual Hunger Games
at, what she believes to be, the cost of her life. These Games are
the Capitol's way of preventing rebellion and a great source of
entertainment for the privileged: a reality TV show broadcast into
every District in which 24 children enter an arena and fight to the
death, the victor moving on to train the next year's "tributes." By
using intelligence, cunning, and natural talents, Katniss survives
the Games and inadvertently becomes the rallying point for
rebellion led by another strong woman seeking to overthrow Snow's
dictatorship. Her journey is inspirational for young women, with
her character serving as a role model for today's culture: a woman
who survives trauma and tragedy and, in the end, finds peace and
survival.

Stephanie Weaver: "Jane Austen and Landscape"

Mentor: Daniel Shea, Format: PowerPoint

Throughout each of her novels, Austen presents her two
protagonists at an intersection between the natural environment and
the confines of nineteenth century British society. Through this
juxtaposition of the romantic ideal of nature and “civilized
society,” both the hero and the heroine become an avatar for the
unity that characterized the marital bond. Where one protagonist is
refined and proper, his or her counterpart is condition by nature
and is in need of refinement. Austen’s construction of her heroic
couples adhere to the Alexander Pope’s theories of humanity
existing as a form of “nature methodized.” Pope’s theory
illustrates a controlled version of the natural world that exists
merely a few steps beyond the courtyard or a few leagues out to
sea. Using Austen’s literature and Pope’s theories on the
picturesque and nature, the piece interrogates the idea of the
individual as “nature methodized,” in order to develop Austen’s
view on Aestheticism and her Aesthetic theory which characterizes
the creation of her literature. Essentially, the marriages that are
instituted throughout Austen’s literature portray one party acting
as the “wild child” whilst the other party seeks to control and
harness the wilderness in their counterpart. In order to develop
her Aesthetic theory, Austen acutely pinpoints the need for balance
in a marriage; essentially she is criticizing her culture for the
existence of extremities in marriage and calls for exactly what
Alexander Pope defines in his neoclassical poetry, a refinement of
the natural world in order to achieve ultimate happiness.

Where does Walt Whitman fit into America’s literary cannon? Why
is he important? When he died in 1892 at the age of 72, poverty
stricken and relying on the financial aid of fellow writers and
friends, surely nobody—with the exception, perhaps, of Whitman
himself—would have foreseen the poet’s vast permeation into
America’s literature and landscape. And yet, here he is. His works
are recited in classrooms around the world, and even Levi Jeans
made use of several of his poems in a recent advertising campaign.
In the end, he is arguably America’s most recognized poet, and yet
he cannot be placed. Is he to be associated with the
Transcendentalists? Is he simply a carrier of their tradition,
taking the breakthroughs of poets like Emerson and Thoreau and
making minor literary touches with major style changes?
Essentially, what I argue is that Whitman was not a
Transcendentalist, and nor was he a bridge between the
Transcendentalists and any other literary movement. Where Whitman
fits is in a class all his own. His uniqueness in content and style
is not necessarily what makes him well known today, but is what
separates him from his contemporaries. More specifically, his
revolutionary take on death and the soul, which stands in contrast
with many Transcendentalist and 19th century Western thought, is
what defines him as a disparate, unique voice in American
literature. This revolutionary take, coupled with his unsettling
and often awkward encounters with Transcendentalists—most notably
Thoreau—forms the crux of my research into America’s most
well-known, as well as enigmatic, poet.

Sandra Wamsley: "The Development and Student Opinion of
College-Specific Smartphone Applications"

Mentor: Maureen Markel, Format: Poster

More and more, schools are adopting technology. Students can
contact their teachers through online learning systems and find
their school on facebook to get the latest updates on events and
games. Schools know that their students have technology with them.
The increase in smartphones has led some schools to create
smartphone apps specifically about their school, with information,
calendars, and much more. Mount Saint Mary College has grown with
technology, much like other schools, but has not yet made this step
to having a smartphone app. Using a survey of students and
interviews with members of the school's administration, this
project sought to discover student interest in a smartphone app for
MSMC, and the process to move forward with the creation of one.

Lindsey Oro: "Psychology of Injury in Collegiate Athletes"

Mentor: Sarah Uzelac, Format: Poster

In the world of competitive sports, injuries are just a part of
the game. They are an expected obstacle that every collegiate
athlete must face at some point in their career. Even though
injuries are to be expected, they are difficult to overcome, both
physically and mentally. The present research examined three
collegiate soccer players and their psychological experiences with
injury. There are basically three stages of injury that an injured
athlete can be in: returning to play after being injured, currently
suffering from an injury, and having to stop competing all together
due to injury. Each of the athletes answered a series of open ended
questions that were tailored to their individual experiences with
injury. Two of the three athletes completed a standard assessment
of either the Social Support Survey or Athletic Identity
Measurement Scale. Their answers were compiled and synthesized with
current research about the psychological trials and tribulations
that an injured athlete goes through.

Over the past three decades, childhood obesity has shifted from
a health concern to a full-fledged epidemic. According to the
Center for Disease Control, obesity has tripled over the past 30
years, with nearly one third of children and adolescents classified
as clinically obese in 2008 (Center for Disease Control [CDC],
2012). The main cause of childhood obesity is an imbalance between
caloric intake (foods consumed) and the caloric expenditure
(calories burned off through physical activity) (CDC, 2012). In the
United States, there are countless contributing factors to the
epidemic of obesity, such as decreased daily physical activity,
advertisement of unhealthy foods, increased cost of healthy foods
compared to that of unhealthy foods, increased portion sizes, and
the prevalence of sugary sports drinks and sodas. The growing
obesity epidemic has not gone unnoticed in America. After reviewing
the exorbitant amount of research regarding childhood obesity, I
began to formulate my topic and plan how I would execute my
project. Specifically, I took the data collected in the research
phase and I focused on primary prevention strategies, such as how
to read food labels, in an elementary school setting.

Alexis Coronato: "Mythology in Harry Potter"

Mentor: Peter Witkowsky, Format: PowerPoint

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series first came out in the United
States in 1998, with the last book being published in 2007. Since
then, these seven books have transcended into more than a good
read; they have become a cultural phenomenon. What most people
don't realize about the books (but which doesn't make them any less
entertaining) is that Rowling incorporated components of myth and
legend into her writing. In The Deathly Hallows, Professor
Dumbledore states, “That which Voldemort does not value, he takes
no trouble to comprehend.” The same goes for those who dismiss
myths as lies; those who do not truly value the importance of
mythology will not see the worth in drawing upon their connections
in Rowling’s series. For those who do value mythology, I have
narrowed the series down and explored myth and legend in terms of
select people, creatures, and objects. My focus is on each of the
books, though some of these ideas might also be applicable to the
films. While some aspects of Rowling’s use of myth and legend
parallel the classical accounts of such, others stray away from
what was once understood to allow her to create her own world.

As part of the Healthy People 2020 initiative, I researched the
phenomenon commonly referred to as "The Freshman Fifteen" and used
this information to teach the freshman students at MSMC how to
maintain a healthy weight during their first year in college.
Various Healthy People 2020 objectives were addressed, including:
Reduce the proportion of obese adults and Increase the proportion
of adults who are at a healthy weight. I will present current
statistics on college weight-gain, as well as causes and healthy
ways to maintain a healthy weight throughout the college years. I
assessed my teaching effectiveness through the evaluation of a
pre-test and post-test that were distributed to the students before
and after my presentation. The results displayed increased
knowledge about weight gain during the first year in college and
healthy ways to prevent weight gain, including resources available
on campus.

Ellen Slocum: "The role of perspective geometry in
education"

Mentor: Zachary Kudlak, Format: PowerPoint

There has long existed a connection between mathematics and art.
Most commonly, this is seen when examining the relationship between
geometry and art. When it comes to the teaching of mathematics, and
really any subject, experts agree that it is important to relate
the material to the students’ life. An important part of education
is showing students that what they are learning matters; that they
are learning something that can be used in the “real world”.
Perspective geometry is perhaps one of the greatest of examples of
mathematical applications; specifically how they can be
incorporated in many different levels of schooling. Including
specific examples of how mathematics and art combine to illustrate
situations that students come across every day, perspective
geometry is an extremely important topic. These real life
situations are the main reason that it is important for the ideas
of perspective geometry to be incorporated in schools across
varying skill levels. This incorporation should exist not only as a
part of a separate subject curriculum, meaning solely as a part of
the mathematics curriculum, but as a part of a multidisciplinary
curriculum, incorporating mathematics, art, and history. Beginning
with a brief history of perspective and leading to how this topic
can be incorporated in today’s classroom, this research project
will stress the role the topic of perspective should play in
education, throughout various academic subjects.

Karen Borst: "Bullying"

Mentor: Evelyn Barese, Format: PowerPoint

Bullying has always been a problem, but most recently, it has
been brought to everyone’s attention; the most prevalent form of
bullying is cyber bullying. The culture and the times have a heavy
impact on bullying and how it affects children. Together, as a
world, we must cooperatively collaborate to counteract bullying and
the huge burden it causes people. But first, we must be made aware
of what causes bullying and the negative effects it has. There are
various types of bullying that occur in today’s world; cyber
bullying, verbal bullying, and school bullying are the most
popular. Each year, about 2.7 million students are bullied; 160,000
miss school every day in fear of being bullied. There is a notable
difference in where the most bullying occurs, but bullying
prevention at all ages is increasing. Hopefully, making people
aware will help to stop school bullying in all. This is a research
based study which discusses the types and causes of bullying. Books
related to bullying, documentaries and videos, and journal articles
are the main sources of information. This research project will
delve into the types of bullying that have the greatest impact on
children and what causes them to occur leading to the strong
negative affect they have on children. There will be no interviews
or personal information revealed. Research on Bullying contributes
to an anti-bullying policy and changes what is happening now; New
York State has implemented the Dignity Act and it has a strong
impact on bullying.

Pablo Escotto: "The Neuroscience of Moral Cognition"

Mentors: Sarah Uzelac and John Hofbauer, Format: PowerPoint

Thirteen years after the “decade of the brain,” the booming
study of neuroscience shows no signs of slowing down. One of the
many specialty fields borne of this trend is neuroethics, the study
of the neural underpinnings of moral cognition. As the
neuroscientific paradigm continues to generate such
cross-disciplinary research, contemporary students interested in
human biology, psychology, and philosophy must be prepared to call
on a basic understanding of its influence and the ability to
critique its expanding reach. Aimed at bridging the accessibility
gap between undergraduate and graduate level material in both
neuroscience and ethics, the culmination of this project is an
introduction to the field of neuroethics for students seeking
further study of moral reasoning as a human cognitive phenomenon.
Results of neuroscientific research on moral cognition will be
discussed in the context of popular schools of ethical thought.

In the cultural diverse world we live in today, the differences
in mental illness between cultures are something that researchers
focus on in the field of psychology. One area that is of specific
interest and importance to researchers seems to be the phenomenon
of Culture Bound Syndromes. Varying from country to country, there
seems to be specific mental illnesses prevalent in one location of
the world, but not in another. As the times are changing, and the
world is becoming a much more diverse place, with many cultures
living together in one area, it is a current worry that people may
not be well equipped to deal with certain syndromes that they may
have never seen before. Specifically, those entering the mental
health field. It is thought that they should have the most cultural
knowledge in order to effectively help individuals from many
different cultures. My study attempts to review the current
literature regarding the rate and prevalence of both nonwestern and
western culture bound syndromes, and to examine the level of
cultural performance and adjustment of those entering the mental
health field versus other major individuals. Does the rate indicate
a need for more cultural psychology education and awareness? My
hypothesis is that those entering the mental health field will have
a higher level of cultural performance and adjustment.

Allison Cowan: "Game Theory in Television"

Mentor: Lee Fothergill, Format: Poster

Game shows have been in existence for many years and use games
to reward the players. More recently, reality television shows have
started incorporating games to create tension between the reality
stars and intrigue the viewer. This study investigates two
well-known games that branch from two different categories of
games. There are strategies for both types of games that have the
potential to either hurt or harm the player in terms of payoff.
This research used books and articles on various topics in game
theory to learn the mechanics of the games presented and try to
develop “winning” strategies. This study also used survey results
from students from Mount Saint Mary College to consider what
different people would do in these situations and why they would
choose that course of action. The surveys essentially ask the
age-old question, “What would you do?” to gain an insight to the
driving forces that guide different people to make different
choices.

Valdilene Mauricio: "The High Corporate Tax System of the U.S
Is Suppressing the Economy of the Country"

Mentor: Dr. Andrew Weiss, Format: Poster

The creation of the federal corporate income tax occurred in
1909, when the uniform rate was 1% for all business income above
$5,000. Since then the rate has increased to as high as 52.8% in
1969, and the single rate has become eight different rates for
different income levels. Today's rate for companies with over $18.3
million in income (the top category) is 35%, the highest among all
countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD).

Since 1980s, other OECD economies have been steadily lowering
their corporate tax rates. But while other nations have been racing
over the past few decades to cut corporate tax rates to welcome
multinational corporations, the United States has stagnated since
1993 when it had its last cut in the statutory rate. The objective
of this study is to analyze the impact and consequences of high
corporate tax in the U.S economy.